A rope is a large stout cord of strands of fibers or wire twisted or braided together for strength. The making of rope dates to ancient times. Originally, strands of fibers were twisted by hand, until the Egyptians developed tools to make ropes from papyrus fibers and leather strips. Hemp, used in Asia and adopted in Europe, became the chosen material for ropes until recently, when it was replaced by Manila hemp, an unrelated plant from the Philippines. Synthetic fibers supplanted Manila hemp as the prime rope material in the 1950s.
Working with ropes is a vital part of many industries and particularly essential to seafaring. Nineteenth century sailors knew and used hundreds of knots, some simple and others exceedingly complicated, each for a specific purpose. Accidents are common on ships, such as when a seaman falls into the water—for which an English word “overboard” was coined to succinctly capture the situation in the twelfth century. In cold waters, as the victim is experiencing hypothermia, his hands and fingers lose dexterity and he cannot hold on to a thin rescue rope that is thrown towards him. Larger diameter ropes, however, are too heavy to throw to a long distance where the victim may be located in the waters.